In the past, customer selection among commercial products with an expert system has been a very difficult procedure requiring a lot of time and user expertise. For example, most product manufactures simply provide many tables of different products. The customer must hunt among these tables to find a product(s) that will suit his needs. Detailed information about the product to allow the customer to make his choice is not readily available. Also, the many factors that go into such a selection make the decision so complex that expert help is often required.
Similarly, inputting of expert knowledge into the knowledge database of an expert system has required assistance and interviewing by the computer engineer building the expert system and the expert.
It would be desirable to have an expert system which is user friendly both for the expert and the customer. The instant invention provides such a solution.